The Imaginary Friend
by Stephanie18
Summary: Seven-year-old Melinda has an imaginary friend. Piper's seen the movie Drop Dead Fred and wonders if Melinda's pal is a good thing...


The Imaginary Friend  
  
Summary: Seven-year-old Melinda has an imaginary friend. Piper's seen the movie Drop Dead Fred and wonders if Melinda's pal is a good thing...  
  
Disclaimer: I own noooothing.  
  
A/N: I had to include Drop Dead Fred in the summary because, well...not really sure. But I can assure you that the story doesn't turn out like the movie. There's a few Drop Dead Fred jokes littered around, but, ehhhh. Doesn't really matter.  
  
A/N 2: Short, sweet, and to the point. It'll just make you want to go 'Awwwwwww.'  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Melinda raced down the stairs and rushed into the dining room. It was Saturday, which ment waffles. Not the toaster kind, but *real* waffles.  
She rushed into the room and sat down in her usual place. Nobody even seemed to notice she was there. But that was probably because her Uncle Cole was half asleep on his breakfast plate and her Aunt Phoebe was reading the mail.  
  
"Paige's vacation is going good." Phoebe muttered to Cole.  
  
"Pagan vacation. Got it." Cole muttered.  
  
Phoebe rolled her eyes then put the mail down. That's when she noticed Melinda. She smiled and Melinda smiled back, but Melinda's attention was drawn away when Leo and Piper walked into the room, waffles in hand.  
  
"Waffles!"  
  
"Walrus?" Cole asked and picked his head up. "Where?"  
  
Melinda giggled as she put a waffle on her plate. She was putting syrup on it when she saw her father was about to sit in the chair at the head of the table. She immediately put the syrup down.  
  
"No, you can't sit there." She told him.  
  
"And why not?"  
  
"My friend is sitting there." Melinda said.  
  
"Well, I had no idea." Leo said and moved away from the chair. Then he looked into the empty space that was occupying the chair and said, "Please forgive me."  
  
"She says not to patronize her." Melinda said. "What does that mean?"  
  
The adults at the table just stopped and stared at the empty chair. Leo reached and waved his hand around the chair and Melinda giggled.  
  
"She isn't there anymore."  
  
"I think we should just chalk it up to too much television." Piper mumbled.  
  
* * * *  
  
Around lunchtime, Piper looked out the window and into the backyard where Melinda was playing. Everything seemed normal until Melinda started talking to thin air and giggling.  
  
"It isn't normal." Piper mumbled.  
  
Phoebe looked up from the magazine she was reading.  
  
"What isn't?"  
  
"That imaginary friend of hers." Piper said.  
  
"I'm sure it's harmless kid stuff." Phoebe said.  
  
"Oh? Remember Lily? Trolls? Hmmmmm? Any of this registering with you?"  
  
"Okay, yeah, but Lily was a fairy. She was good. And if Melinda has a fairy friend, I say good for her." Phoebe said.  
  
"Yeah, but I saw the movie Drop Dead Fred."  
  
"Piper, I'm sure no crazy red-haired invisible maniac is convincing your daughter to rob your home and make mud pies."  
  
Piper sighed and opened the door. Phoebe gave her one last look, then she went outside to get Melinda and bring her in for lunch.  
  
"What's so funny?" Piper asked when she got over to her. Melinda was giggling uncontrollably.  
  
Melinda looked next to her, where Piper could see nothing, then laughed again. "Nothing."  
  
"Doesn't sound like nothing." Piper said as they walked back inside. Melinda rolled her eyes at the empty air next to her.  
  
"Moms just don't understand."  
  
Piper shot Phoebe a look. Phoebe shrugged and asked Melinda to come over. Melinda did and sat next to Phoebe.  
  
"Hey, Melinda," Phoebe said. "What's your friend like? What's her name?"  
  
"Well, she's really nice and fun." Melinda said. "And she never tells me her name, but that's okay. It doesn't matter. She's nice. And she's got lots of neat stories."  
  
"Um, go wash your hands for lunch." Piper said. Melinda nodded and left the kitchen. "I trust nothing that doesn't have a name."  
  
"I still don't see the problem." Phoebe said.  
  
"You said it yourself. Mudpies! Robbery!"  
  
Phoebe just rolled her eyes.  
  
"I think you need some therapy. All Melinda's friend appears to be doing is making her happy. Plus, imaginary friends help creativity. And, it could be a fairy after all."  
  
"Yes, but it could also be some demon in disguise." Piper countered.  
  
"I am definitely positive that you need some therapy." Phoebe said and left the kitchen.  
  
Piper sighed and wondered if she really was just overreacting...  
  
* * * *  
  
Piper walked past Melinda's room and heard whispering. Deciding to, if only to just calm her nerves, stop and listen.  
  
"Please tell me another story." Melinda whispered. There was a pause then, "I know my bedtime was fifteen minutes ago, but please. Please, please, please. Your stories are so good."  
  
Piper debated whether or not to run to the video store...or maybe the therapist. Hell, she probably needed to do both. After a few minutes silence, she heard Melinda.  
  
"Mom, I know you're outside my door."  
  
Piper's eyes bugged out. Perfectly normal imaginary friend. Piper was going to give Phoebe a hard time for a very long time.  
  
Piper took a breath and poked her head through the door.  
  
"What're you still doing up?"  
  
"She was just telling me a story." Melinda said. "It was a neat story."  
  
"Is she still here?" Piper asked.  
  
"No." Melinda said. "She said that it was time for her to go. I won't be seeing her for a very long time. Maybe never again."  
  
"Well, I think it's time for you to go to bed." Piper said.  
  
"Before I do," Melinda said, then glanced across the room. "My friend told me to ask you for a bedtime story, because she has to go."  
  
"Oh?" Piper asked, entered the room, and sat on the edge of the bed. "And what story did she tell me to tell you?"  
  
"About the time when she turned into a dog." Melinda said.  
  
Piper paused. It was like she had no breath. She slowly turned to where Melinda was looking, hoping to see her, but she, of course, couldn't.  
  
It was because, simply, she wasn't there anymore. Piper wished that Prue would have stayed longer, but she knew it was time. Time for her to let go and time for Melinda to make some new friends.  
  
THE END 


End file.
